Despite Sickness

Today, three friends and I visited the homes of two friends, both recovering from ailments.

The first one is a visual artist, who suffered from paralysis & heart problems last year. We're happy to see him painting again.

The second one, a crafter, suffered a stroke years ago and is still unable to move the left part of her body. Thankfully, her joyful energy never faltered, greeting us with so much warmth and excitement.

Seeing them today was a bit of a reminder of how fleeting & insignificant most of our concerns are, how basic things like the ability to move and carry out simple tasks should not be taken for granted. I am happy to see them both recovering, that even in sickness they try to move within their space, within their capacities. 

Friend number 1 is still painting, creating, despite the physical difficulty of doing so.

Friend number 2 has maintained her "loudness" (her words), her infectious laughter, and entertained us by telling us stories of her many interests, from bugs to Mesopotamia.

Workspace of Friend number 1

After bread, coffee, and stories were shared, my friends and I left our second friend with a bit of a heavy heart, that helpless feeling of not being able to change her situation. We decided to "process" our experiences over a bowl of noodles and bread. Most of the processing was really just us shedding off the weight quietly as we had our lunch. Later on, we asked each other - what was our takeaway from the interaction?

"Deepen connections, take care of each other," said one friend.

"Don't be too extreme or hard on yourself, everything in moderation," said another.

"We never know when sickness hits us," said the other

Aside from all that they've said, I'm also asking myself, "what are my perceived limitations and how can I move within this space in my own capacities?"

In a way, I saw that glimmer of empowerment in them, and how DESPITE these difficulties, they move, they carry on with their day, no excuses. This is not to undermine how hard their situation is, or anyone's situation for that matter. This is the situation, this is the circumstance, this is the condition. Now what? 

I read somewhere that we can only truly just show up every single day, with no expectation of perfection or control. As a bit of a closet perfectionist, this is a breather. 

We can't do it alone, we need community, and maybe that's a big chunk of the "now what" part. 

I just wish for them to get better fully, so they can move further and take up more space.

Let us take care of ourselves, let us take care of each other... 

- Ivee B (10/04/22)